Chipped beak - Hahns Macaw

[abaddon879]

I came down this morning to find Solo had somehow managed to chip his beak on the top layer.
He doesn't seem in a lot of pain, and is still happy to use his beak for climbing around the cage. He was happy to come out the cage, but I am concerned whether he may have done serious damage.

Could any of you advise please. I have included an image of the damage to his beak.

 

[FutureDVM]

I would recommend taking him to see your avian veterinarian. Along with the chipped layer, his beak appears to be overgrown.

 

[solobaby]

love his name - i would say take him to a vet

 

[Pedro]

That is normal for a Hahn's, so is the lenght of the beak. They have a very sharp pointy beak. However if he isn't on a balanced diet of fresh fruits, veggies & sprouts, then it would be a good idea. You can offer him grooming aids such as natural perches for him to rub his beak on. Also lots of chewing toys.

 

[goalerjones]

That is normal for a Hahn's, so is the lenght of the beak. They have a very sharp pointy beak. However if he isn't on a balanced diet of fresh fruits, veggies & sprouts, then it would be a good idea. You can offer him grooming aids such as natural perches for him to rub his beak on. Also lots of chewing toys.

+1 on the pointy beak. My Hahn's beak regularly gives my ears small piercings and occasionally my fingers. I keep making new wooden toys for him so his beak doesn't get too pointy.

I also agree with the diet changes if needed. My guy loves carrots, broccoli, corn, peas, papaya, pineapple, apples in addition to his feed mix.

 

[FutureDVM]

That is normal for a Hahn's, so is the lenght of the beak. They have a very sharp pointy beak. However if he isn't on a balanced diet of fresh fruits, veggies & sprouts, then it would be a good idea. You can offer him grooming aids such as natural perches for him to rub his beak on. Also lots of chewing toys.

Oops! Guess I shouldn't have said anything. Please excuse my ignorance. The beak seemed too long to me, but I have to admit that I don't have much experience with Hahn's macaws specifically.

 

[MollyGreenCheeks]

That is normal for a Hahn's, so is the lenght of the beak. They have a very sharp pointy beak. However if he isn't on a balanced diet of fresh fruits, veggies & sprouts, then it would be a good idea. You can offer him grooming aids such as natural perches for him to rub his beak on. Also lots of chewing toys.

Oops! Guess I shouldn't have said anything. Please excuse my ignorance. The beak seemed too long to me, but I have to admit that I don't have much experience with Hahn's macaws specifically.

Never excuse yourself for asking a question due to ignorance! That is how we learn. What's important is you continue to learn and gain experience!

 

[Pedro]

Oops! Guess I shouldn't have said anything. Please excuse my ignorance. The beak seemed too long to me, but I have to admit that I don't have much experience with Hahn's macaws specifically.

There isn't anything to excuse FutureDVM. You just wasn't aware a hahn's had a longish pointy beak. It is a very easy mistake to make. At least your on the ball & you did notice so IMO your doing just fine learning things.

 

[MikeyTN]

Nobody mentioned concrete perches? They're great for them to file their beaks on.

 

[abaddon879]

Thanks guys, I left him for a while and as you said, it has now grown back thankfully. He never even seemed to notice!

He has a perch to wear his beak and claws down on, but he never uses it. I keep trying to find somewhere in the cage for it where he will use it, but he doesn't seem interested. He loves his rigid rope perch instead. I will try and find an alternative for him.

In regards to his diet, are there any good recommended feeds available for him which I could supplement with fresh fruit/veg?

 

[Luna]

Hello, My advice is do nothing. If you look at many parrot photographs or see many large parrots you will almost always see some keratin damage. This is the same martial of our nails, hair, our skin and almost every body part. Luna's became very damaged before I recognized the cause and stopped attaching her leash with a padlock. The keratin regrows and will look better fairly quickly. D.D.

 

[Cthebird]

I'm glad I found this post. My Hahn's has a similarly chipped beak. It's not at all painful for him. About a few weeks ago, I was fretting about his chipped lower beak and my husband said not to worry. Sure enough it repaired itself quickly. His chipped upper beak does worry me enough to find this thread, but I'm sure that, too, will repair itself quickly. Obviously if it hurt him at all, affected his eating or anything else, he'd be at the avian vet lickity split. I know mamas worry about their babies. I know I do.

I do feed my guy a very well rounded diet of Harrison's, which he does eat, and at least four different fruit choices and veggie choices per day. His bowl looks super yummy every day. He also has treats of nuts, a small amount of seeds, dried fruit, and dried herbs/veggies. I just can't imagine nutrition is an issue for him, but I don't know how/why his beak chips sometimes.

My Hahn's macaw's beak gets long and pointy, too. When it gets dangerous (to us) or looks way too long for him, we file it a little, which he hates. It grows back like a weed. Even filed it's still long. I think he needs some pointiness.